Santa Clara’s Planning Commission launched its first meeting of 2026-2027 on Aug. 12 by accepting the resignation of chair Nancy Biagini, approving a 147-unit housing subdivision on Homestead Road and re-electing past president Eric Crutchlow as chair.
Commissioners paid tribute to Biagini’s service on the commission.
Nancy was “a champion and an advocate for labor,” and projects that respected fair and livable wages, said Crutchlow.
Nancy was “the reason I’m here,” said Commissioner Qian Huang. He met her through a Leadership Santa Clara class where she urged him to apply for a commission opening. Huang called her “honest,” “straightforward” and said she stood up for what she thought was right for the citizens of Santa Clara.
The commission’s main business was approving a tentative subdivision map for 147 units and a commercial building at 3521 and 3591 Homestead Road; currently a long-closed shopping plaza that was the home of Kyo-Po supermarket — proposed by the Pulte Group.
The proposal includes 57 three-story townhomes and 90 four-story stacked units, all with two-car garages. The development also includes 22 affordable units and nearly 5,000 sq. ft. of new retail space.
“I’m happy to report … nine of the 13 [former tenants] were relocated in Santa Clara,” said Pulte consultant Jim Sullivan.
The project cleared architectural review in June, said Associate Planner Meha Patel, with additional conditions for privacy landscaping and windows on garage doors in response to neighbors’ parking concerns. It qualifies the proposed development for streamlined review under state law and is consistent with an already-approved environmental impact report (EIR), so no further environmental analysis is required.
“The opportunity for public transit should be real because we do have a stop at Homestead,” Commissioner Mario Bouza said, and asked staff to request more shuttle service from the VTA to handle the additional density.
Bouza also asked about requiring additional garage ventilation for EV charging.
“Some cities in California are starting to look into having ozone sensors and, well, beyond carbon monoxide, there’s variations of the sensors depending upon the type of vehicle,” he said. “If you’re driving an EV, then you need to have a sensor for ozone and other gases that are emitted during charging in a closed garage and have sufficient ventilation” to prevent overheating and fire risks.
The staff agreed to discuss it with the building division although changes wouldn’t be likely to take effect until the 2028 code cycle.
Commissioner Bouza asked when demolition would begin.
“My concern is that it’s going to look like a third world country with all the businesses closed up and boarded up,” said Bouza. “Then you’re going to have vagrants coming in and starting to set fires or trying to live there. So my thing is, how fast are you going?”
Sullivan replied that the site would come down fast, within 30 days of escrow closing, potentially September or October. He added that Pulte has been coordinating with police and fire departments interested in using the site for training before construction begins.
The commission voted unanimously, 6-0, to recommend that city council approve the project.
“Can we make sure that the minutes reflect our concern about safety?” Crutchlow asked.
Commissioners also considered a policy proposed by Commissioner Priya Cherukuru allowing one primary and one alternate commissioner to officially represent the body at city council meetings on items that had already been reviewed.
Cherukuru and Crutchlow said that an official representative of the planning commission would get more consideration from the council than simply speaking as an individual. Commissioners asked Assistant City Attorney Xander Abbe to revise the draft and return with the full set of commission policies to be adopted at a future meeting.
Crutchlow was re-elected chair by acclamation.
“My nomination would be that you continue as chair,” Cherukuru said.
She was also nominated for chair but declined. Because Crutchlow is running for city council in November, he will stay in the position at least until after the election.
The commission also approved $2,250 in travel funds for Commissioner Huang to attend the California APA Conference in Los Angeles October 3-6, and approved funding for Crutchlow to attend as a speaker. The commission’s remaining budget is $17,365.
The meeting was notably brief, wrapping up in under two hours, and Chair Crutchlow commented on it: “We did it before 8 o’clock!” he said as the meeting adjourned.